Right now, Russia continues to face worldwide outrage over the war that it began in Ukraine last February. When Russian President Putin cleared the attack, he expected his forces to be able to take over Ukraine in a matter of days.
Yet, one year later, the war continues with Ukraine valiantly fighting back. One huge asset that’s helped Ukraine is the aid from the West and other countries around the world. This allowed the playing field to be leveled since Russia is a much bigger country than Ukraine.
Many businesses have removed themselves from Russia and shut down shop since Putin’s war. However, last week, the president of Russia managed to make headlines for a reason largely removed from the war, per Associated Press.
Handing Out Awards?
Much of the world was surprised upon learning that Putin granted Steven Seagal, a US citizen who is also a citizen of Russia, an Order of Friendship award.
This award comes partially as a result of Seagal’s work in film and other endeavors. Per the Russian president, the Order of Friendship is an acknowledgment of the actor improving global relations for the country.
Putin awarded Steven Seagal @sseagalofficial with the Russian Order of Friendship – "for a large contribution into the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation"
Caption the photo? pic.twitter.com/fRhSdlLhKx
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 27, 2023
In bestowing this award, the Russian president furthermore honored Seagal as someone who engaged in humanitarian and cultural alliances. Some people might think any mention of humanitarianism from Russia is ironic, given what its forces have done to Ukraine without provocation.
However, this is not Seagal’s first rodeo with Russia. In addition to having citizenship in the country, the actor worked as a Russian envoy, years ago, to Japan and America.
Meanwhile in Ukraine
Despite the awards that Putin is giving out, many of Russia’s own citizens are suffering economic hardships. That’s largely due to the businesses that pulled out of Russia when the war started in 2022. It’s also important to remember all the sanctions that have been slapped on Russia.
Putin, being a member of the Russian elite, has largely been able to keep going unscathed. However, the same cannot be said for the average Russian citizen.
Russia has lost nearly 150,000 men in Ukraine.
If you find it hard to visualise how many men that is, then take a look at the image below of a parade in Moscow, where you can see approx 15,000 men: just 10% of the men KIA to date!#UkraineRussianWar #Ukraine #Bakhmut #Putin pic.twitter.com/Y6ylQ0zRQa— 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑 (@HilliusGlitch) March 2, 2023
The president has also approved the incarceration of Russians who took to the streets in protest against the war in Ukraine last year. It’s not a good situation, regardless of how many awards Putin chooses to give to various actors.
There still remains no sign of when the war in Ukraine will finally come to an end. Nevertheless, those with knowledge of Putin, his thoughts, and his operations, confirm that he won’t ever take action to voluntarily end this war.
What do you think about the award that Putin chose to grant an actor with dual citizenship in the United States and Russia? You’re welcome to sound off with your thoughts in the comments area below.
